'I paid under £30 and got all-inclusive food and drink at Manchester Airport'

Going on holiday is exciting, but nothing dampens the spirits more than over crowded airports. A new Black Friday deal is offering flyers the chance to save up to 40% on airport lounges to help take the stress out of flying.

Paying a small fortune for barely edible airport food only adds to the frustration, and fighting for a seat in busy departure lounges makes what should be an enjoyable experience feel anything but. If you've ever wanted to know how celebrities and other frequent flyers manage to endure travel without looking like they've survived the apocalypse, we've discovered the secret of stress-free flying.

While you make think that airport lounges are a privilege only reserved for VIPs and the super rich, finding an upscale haven of tranquillity away from the crowds could be far more affordable than you ever imagined. For as little as £30 a head, or even less with a Priority Pass, this could be the Black Friday travel deal you've been waiting for.

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Airport lounges offers a peaceful escape from the bustling terminal, providing a calm environment to relax before your flight. With comfortable seating, quiet spaces and fewer crowds, it’s a welcome retreat from the usual airport chaos.

Most airport lounges also provide complimentary food and drinks, often including a range of snacks, hot meals and beverages, making them a convenient and cost-effective alternative to overpriced airport cafes. This can help you refuel and unwind without breaking the bank.

There is also the lure of free Wi-Fi, charging stations and other amenities that offer added convenience can make your travel experience more productive. When reporter Ellie Kemp decided to book herself into an airport lounge ahead of a recent trip to Paris, she wanted to share her experience.

Ellie explained: "Passengers usually pay a set price to access a lounge, in return for a selection of food and drink nestled away from the hustle and bustle of the Departures waiting area. Manchester Airport, which flies passengers to more than 160 destinations, has nine lounges across its three terminals.

"The Escape Lounge promises 'an oasis of calm' and is the most economical option, priced at £28.99 per person (accurate at time of original writing). Having never tried a lounge before, I decided to see if that really was the case at Terminal 1 - and I can't believe I ever waited so long."

As the stress of a busy security check began to fade away, Ellie described approaching the lounge entrance as being reminiscent of checking in to a hotel. After checking in with two members of staff, Ellie was invited to help herself to the buffet and order drinks at the bar.

She said: "As I had arrived at 11.30am, the food was being swapped over from breakfast to lunch. A selection of sandwiches, tomato soup, two salads and some nachos were on one buffet bar, with pastries and cakes nearby.

"The trio of sandwiches - cheese, egg or chicken and mayo - looked freshly made and I was instantly drawn to them - which is unusual, as I very rarely fancy sandwiches. To begin, I went for a chicken sandwich and a portion of nachos with salsa and sour cream. The sandwiches really were as good as they looked; light, delicious and the perfect ratio of filling to soft bread."

On the other table Ellie spied some sausages and hash brown bites left over from breakfast, as well as curry, pasta, beef stew and a vegetable curry. She said: "For my next course I opted for some hash brown bites, pasta and vegetable curry - which were all top quality, especially the curry, which admittedly I do still think about from time to time now."

After spending around two hours in the lounge, Ellie felt relaxed and ready to fly (although her cheeky glass or two of Prosecco could have helped with that).

Ellie concluded: "I fell asleep easily on the plane after my time in the lounge, so for longer-haul flights I would be rushing to book in again. It's changed my approach to travel for the better and just goes to show that having some time to de-stress - and a taste of luxury - ahead of a stressful day of travelling really puts your mind at rest.

You can read Ellie's full review, here.

Was the airport lounge good value for money?

In total, the Escape Lounge access at Manchester Airport costs £29.99 per person. Ellie compared what she had consumed to the prices of similar products at the nearby Giraffe restaurant in Terminal 1 to find out.

She said "Overall, I drank two glasses of prosecco and strawberry juice at the lounge. Two 125ml glasses of Il Baco Seta Prosecco at Giraffe would have put me back by £17, while a cranberry juice would've cost £3.75. That's more than a third of my lounge ticket already spent on drinks.

"I had a total of two chicken and mayo sandwiches - which would be roughly equivalent to two lots of toast from Giraffe and would have cost me £6.50. The pasta, curry and hash brown concoction, and the portion of nachos and salsa, I would say is equal to the average cost of a 'main' restaurant meal - such as a Katsu curry or lasagne. So that would have been £14.

"And for dessert, I enjoyed the muffin and pastry, which would have been worth around £6.50, or the equivalent to a cheesecake from Giraffe. All in all, I had around £47.75 worth of food and beverages at the lounge - saving me £17.76."

Save even more of stress-free flying

Savvy travellers wanting to follow in Ellie footsteps could save even more money on stress free journeys from Manchester and 1800 other airports.

Priority Pass are offering 40% off a standard annual subscription, making it £41 instead of £69. Even with an additional £24 fee per lounge visit, this deal is often cheaper than a one-off lounge pass. Great news for frequent flyers, the more a lounges are used, the more economic Priority Pass becomes.

To see how much you could save, the first visit and sign up free for a Priority Pass customer would come to £65 for (£41 annual fee + £24 visit fee), and then £24 for subsequent visits. A total of four visits over two trips abroad would cost £137.

If the same person bought direct lounge access the same amount of trips could cost up to £190 - that's a saving of £53 that could be better spent on holiday.

Priority Pass lounges have a range of perks too depending on the location including pre-booking of airport lounges to avoid disappointment, entitlement to a variety of well-being packages with Be Relax Spas before a flight and access to car rental locations with bookings at preferential rates.

Find out more the full list of Priority Pass benefits, here.